Cobaltic hydroxide by product precipitates occur in the purification circuits of nickel electrolytes in nickel electrorefining or electrowinning plants and in the purification circuits of nickel leaching solutions. These precipitates tend to be fine black hydrous materials from which the valuable cobalt should be recovered. In many instances it is desirable to recover the cobalt as cobaltous chloride. Since cobaltic hydroxide is a strong oxidizing agent, it is found that a simple solution of the cobaltic hydroxide in hydrochloric acid is not commercially desirable due to the strong evolution of chlorine from the hydrochloric acid. It is known from the work of Syper which appears in Roczniki Chemii, Volume 47, page 43, etc. 1973 that various organic compounds including alcohol act as reductants in the presence of cobaltic hydroxide to convert the cobaltic hydroxide to the cobaltous form. Use of alcohols, aldehydes, and organic acids to reduce cobaltic hydroxide is also disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,258. Neither of these references treats of the manufacture of cobaltous chloride from cobaltic hydroxide.